And Now, a Suitcase-Sized Rube Goldberg Machine

Ok, so technically it takes up two suitcases... but, considering that the entire apparatus fits neatly into a pair of mismatched vintage valises for one-man portage, you get the idea.

Of course, it's not the first time we've seen one of these elaborate contraptions from Eindhoven design studio HeyHeyHey; in fact, their latest effort takes the same name as their last, "Melvin the Magical Mixed Media Machine," albeit with an apt appellation of its own.
When we built our first Melvin late 2010, we built it BIG because it needed to entertain loads of people all at once. After its initial (online) success, a lot of people, companies and festivals inquired about its availability to do a show. After some phone calls and e-mails back and forth the conclusion was always the same: Melvin was simply too big and expensive to rebuild.

Early 2012, we had some time to spare and we felt the need to challenge ourselves once again, so we set out to build a new Melvin. This time around we could determine our own boundaries and that's why we decided to build a travel version that 'sends' its own postcards and interacts (in some way) with the people around it.

In short, this new Melvin is a Rube Goldberg machine specifically built to travel the world, and let's be honest, we like the idea of going with him whenever and wherever we can.

The film for "Melvin the Mini Machine" is something of a slow build, but I'd recommend watching it in full:

Unfortunately, it's hard to tell if the episode was shot continuously—i.e. if Melvin went off without a hitch—and whether the setup is as simple as the quick edit suggests (photos from the shoot suggest otherwise)... because we all know that portability is the main criteria for today's jetsetting would-be Da Vincis.

The latest design news, jobs & events. Straight to you every other week.

Formerly an editor and currently a contributor to Core77 (among other publications), Ray relocated from New York City to the Netherlands in September 2015 to pursue a Master’s in Curating & Writing at the Design Academy Eindhoven. Insatiably curious, he brings a broad interest in popular culture, media, and technology — alongside an abiding passion for art, music, and cycling — to his practice as a journalist and critic.

Sadly, this video is Chermayeff's last interview before his passing earlier this month. The duo designed many iconic logos together, from MoMA to Chase Bank.

If you're in need of a smile this afternoon, take a minute to watch this video about graphic design power duo Ivan Chermayeff and Tom Geismar. Celebrating 60 years of collaboration this year, the 85 year old designers reflect on a few of their most iconic logos and their

Yesterday morning, this commuter in L.A. shot this insane footage of the wildfire burning alongside the 405 freeway: That…doesn't look real. You could be forgiven for thinking the people of Los Angeles have pissed off a vengeful Greek god. Thus far the death toll is estimated at 40 people,

On Friday it appeared that an interdimensional portal opened in the sky above a ski resort in Sweden: Alas, no Norse deities came flying through the breach, nor did any humans get sucked into it from our side. The phenomena is apparently caused by sunlight being refracted through crystals of

WTF is going on here

I've seen my share of GIFs, but I've never seen any that were able to make me hear a sound. Take a look at this and tell me what you experience: Do you hear anything? According to this informal survey, 75% of viewers' brains fill in the audio blanks